Caterblaster
The is an enemy featured in The Drillimation Series, first appearing in the 1989 platform game Mr. Driller G. The Caterblaster is a caterpillar-like insect that are the size of a small dog that freely roam around, and attack if they see the player. Behavior Their attack sequence always starts off with them performing metamorphosis which conceals their entire body inside a pupa. The player cannot kill them while in their pupa form, and all attempts to kill them are absorbed into their body. After the pupa turns from green to white, the cocoon will explode into white bullets, which are deadly to the player, and release the caterblaster itself in its butterfly form. They will then start attacking the player by shooting projectiles from its antennae and wings. Even if the player manages to shoot off its wings, they will turn back into their regular form and repeat the process again. They are often hard to kill due to their intense attack patterns, and because of this, this enemy has received a very well reception. Appearances In the anime Caterblasters have appeared in the anime since Magical Girl Team Lucky Star, and sometimes have a humanoid form. In a doujinshi that Hiyori writes, Hiyori states that she befriends a young girl named Suzuka who has the appearance of a caterblaster, and even though Hiyori is a humanoid suzumebachi, caterblasters are often enemies to each other. As the story continues, Suzuka's mother dies, and her mother's power drains into Suzuka, causing her to perform the metamorphosis sequence that most caterblasters do, and due to her pupa being vulnerable to other enemies, Hiyori protects the pupa from yaribachis and creepers. As Suzuka emerges from the explosive white liquid that all caterblasters make, Hiyori warns the people around it that the white liquid is also acidic and can dissolve humanoid tissue. The transformation sequence caused Suzuka to age quite a few months into her future, and also giving her wings, which can let her fly. In the games Since their first appearance in Mr. Driller G, this enemy has appeared in every main series Mr. Driller game to this date, as well as the Lucky Star series making their debut in the 1991 game Super Lucky Star 4. An unlockable kart resembling one appears in the 2003 racing game Driller Engine Grand Prix 2x2 as Eguri's signature kart, and again in the 2014 game Driller Engine Grand Prix 8 as the Caterbluggy. In the Crystal Island series, a humanoid caterblaster named Reika Enami appeared in the third game, Crystal Island 3: The Botanic Journey. In the game, she can be switched to replace the main character the player is playing as during the first four stages before performing metamorphosis during the fifth stage, where she is unplayable during that period. She does return in butterfly form for the final boss and extra stage. Reception Mr. Driller G was attacked by some critics, stating that they are considered to be one of the most annoying enemies in The Drillimation Series. IGN stated that they make one of the most annoying sound effects of the Driller Engine 2 Era, while trying to get from point A to point B. Due to their annoyance, an extremely popular cheat code for the PC, SNES, and Genesis versions were made to solely disable their metamorphosis sequence. According to Urban Dictionary, the definition for the caterblaster explains that it is one of the most annoying enemies in The Drillimation Series, and how it still haunts their dreams.